A WALK IN YOUR SAFARI GUIDE’S SHOES: SHANGAAN CLAN TOUR

SOUTH AFRICA (04/2013) – Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve now offers the Shangaan Clan Tour, an opportunity to explore the folklore and traditions of the local tribe from where the majority of Sabi Sabi’s employees hail. In exchange for opening a door to their lives, to their homes, schools and community centers, community members will receive proceeds from a donation given by guests.

En-route to the first stop, Sabi Sabi community liaison officer Lodrick Manyathele speaks on architecture of the area, rural agriculture with all its challenges, traditional art and preparation of ethnic food. On the way, guests will be able to admire the crafts of the talented bead-workers, grass weavers and wood carvers, and to listen to both the harmonies of the local choir and the heart-thumping beat of the local drummers.

A favorite stop on the tour is the local sangoma (traditional healer) who enjoys special stature and is much revered in the community. The sangoma is regularly called upon to give advice, healing and blessings.

There are three varying itineraries with the first stop dependent upon the day of the week: Mazinyane Pre-school, a local shop or a local church. At each stop on the tour, guests are welcome to take photographs to cement their memories of an enriching and enlightening visit. A conversation with a safari guide on his life is one thing; to see the community from where he derives is another.

The tour is available for a minimum of four guests and can accommodate up to 32 guests. Rates for the tour start at $45* per person, and can be booked at the lodge.

For reservations, contact res@sabisabi.com, email warren@warrengreenandassociates.com, or call (804) 767-8770. For more information, visit www.sabisabi.com.

*Based on the exchange rate between USD and South African Rand on 04/30/13.

CHELI & PEACOCK COMMUNITY TRUST BRANCHES INTO HEALTHCARE WITH NEW PROJECT: AITONG MEDICAL CLINIC

KENYA – The Cheli & Peacock Community Trust announces a new initiative at Elephant Pepper Camp (EPC) in the heart of the Mara North Conservancy with the introduction of a healthcare project at the Aitong Medical Clinic. This follows the great success of education-based projects surrounding Cheli & Peacock’s six high end camps, including EPC.

It began when Cheli & Peacock Community Trust coordinated a successful medical camp at the Aitong Medical Clinic, during which a team of five trained Red Cross personnel provided free medical advice, treatment and prescriptions, as well as emergency health kits that could treat 10,000 in the local community for three months. Feedback from local clinicians concluded that the supplies of drugs and equipment at the clinic were excellent, but they needed the skills and expertise to use them.

This is where Elephant Pepper Camp comes in: the Cheli & Peacock Community Trust pledged to arrange for a trained General Practitioner to visit the Aitong Medical Clinic three times per year for three to four days at a time, pro bono. Dr. Richard Ayah, a University of Nairobi lecturer and qualified medic, and his wife Dr. Violet Naanyu, a doctor of medical anthropology and sociology, will begin their visit to the clinic in June 2013. EPC, the driving force in creating the Mara North Conservancy*, will host these doctors and will provide complimentary board and some of the country’s best game drives.

The Cheli & Peacock Community Trust has also promised to fundraise and secure the remaining contributions to the sustainable stock replenishment program. Stefano Cheli, owner of Cheli & Peacock, states: “Sustainable ecotourism is at the very heart of what we do. We are delighted to work with Aitong Medical Clinic to support the healthcare needs of their local community and look forward to hosting Richard and Violet at Elephant Pepper Camp.”

The goal is to provide a community of approximately 3,000 local people with improved healthcare by maintaining supplies and stock replenishment, raising training standards and growing clinical expertise, while also focusing on peer education programs on key topics, such as HIV/AIDS.

With the collaboration of everyone mentioned above, this goal will be efficiently reached.

For more information on the Cheli & Peacock Community Trust, visit http://chelipeacock.com/conservation/community-trust/. For more information on Elephant Pepper Camp, visit http://elephantpeppercamp.com/ or email info@chelipeacock.co.ke.

* Mara North Conservancy covers more than 70,000 acres between Musiara and Aitong, a core parcel within the Masai Mara ecosystem, and maintains the land solely for wildlife conservation. Mara North Conservancy also guarantees its 750 Masai landowners stable revenue, transparent financial management and the preservation of the ancient balance between wildlife and traditional pastoralism.

EXCLUSIVE, NEW FINE-DINING SIGNATURE RESTAURANT OPENS AT WORLD-RENOWNED SAXON BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN JOBURG

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa- Thanks to the culinary flair and creative vision of star Executive Chef David Higgs (considered by many the best chef in South Africa), the Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas and Spa in Johannesburg has opened a new and exclusive fine dining restaurant in a space that was formerly Suite 500, the Presidential Suite of owner Douw Steyn.  In his honor, the new restaurant has been named “five hundred.” The concept is a dining experience where food, wine and art converge, and where chefs and sommeliers interact with guests. The intimate, 40-seat restaurant offers a menu of dishes prepared with simple, fresh, flavorful and high-quality ingredients as well as wines from an extensive, well-curated cellar.

The Saxon’s luxurious signature restaurant fulfills the food philosophy of Chef Higgs, who says, "A successful restaurant is based upon repeat business resulting from the artistic preparation and presentation of its food. Classical or modern, a dish must be eye-catching, whether it’s visually colorful or a counter-play of textures.”
“Five hundred” comprises a private entrance; a reception area and the Ruinart Room which can accommodate up to eight guests for private dining at the Chef’s Table. In the main dining room, tables are set up side-by-side in a collegial arrangement with the open Chef’s Kitchen the focal point. Décor is dramatic yet simple: dark background hues counterpoint vibrant orange accents; bold, contemporary art on the walls echo the palette of oils on each table.
The dinner experience is an extraordinary journey of either four or six tasting courses, each paired with expertly selected local and international wines and vintages, under the direction of award-winning Head Sommelier, Francis Krone. While the menu is perused, a sommelier pours the guest a glass of Champagne and describes its virtues.  Then, once chosen, each dish is presented by a chef who explains how it was cooked and what may be expected of it. For the six-course menu, the sommelier discusses with the guest the personality of each vintage, the region that produced it, and its idiosyncrasies of flavor and aroma.
The Saxon’s new menus are designed to entice guests to return, not only from the point of view of flavor satisfaction, but from the hospitality proffered. Higgs was given carte blanche to change the entire food and beverage offering at The Saxon and to position it once again as the “most exceptional dining experience” in Johannesburg.
For further information or reservations contact +27 11 292 6000 or visit: www.saxon.co.za  

PREMIER SAFARIS’ ANNOUNCES NOVEL EXPLORER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

KAMPALA, Uganda-  Premier Safaris, a specialist in adventure/luxury safaris in East Africa, is launching a unique program – customized safaris with Explorer-in-Residence Julian Monroe Fisher, a 21^st century David Livingstone. Fisher, an American currently based in Austria, is an explorer, author, anthropologist, ethnographer, filmmaker, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, member of the American Anthropological Association and an International Fellow of the British Chapter of The Explorers Club in New York City.  

Between 2007 and 2011, Fisher conducted five consecutive Explorers Club flag-sanctioned research expeditions to the African continent. In 2012-13, he guided an expedition team that included David Baker, great-great-grandson of renowned Victorian-age explorer Sir Samuel White Baker, retracing Baker’s 1860’s route from Cairo to Murchison Falls in Uganda.

Open to two – six people who crave adventure, Premier Safaris will tailor an African safari with emphasis on Uganda, the “pearl of Africa,” and stays at Chobe Safari Lodge and Paraa Safari Lodge. Fisher as well as a local guide will be along for the duration of the trip. Beyond leading the safari, he will share tales, historical facts, anthropological information and anecdotes from his twenty years of spearheading expeditions across the continent. Journeys include Lake Victoria, where one of the great 19^th century quests – the source of the White Nile – was fulfilled, when Jack Speke discovered it at Jinja.

Adventurers can visit the explored or hazard the unexplored, just like Livingstone, Sir Richard Burton, Beryl Markham and other intrepid Africaphiles.  Rates vary, depending on accommodations, number of people and activities required.  General rate: about US$3300 per person for a trip with five people over seven days. Trips can be extended to 10 days for those who want to retrace Baker’s footsteps in Uganda.

For more information, contact Corne Schalkwyk at gm@premiersafaris.com  visit www.premiersafaris.com or go to Fisher’s website: www.JulianMonroeFisher.com

NEW STAR ON ZIMBABWE BORDER: VICTORIA FALLS RIVER LODGE

In a move that signifies the positive changes in Zimbabwe, five-star Victoria Falls River Lodge opened its doors in April 2012. This is the first luxury lodge to open in several years and the first private game lodge to be set in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi National Park. The boutique lodge is built on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, and is close enough to Victoria Falls to see the spray of the “Smoke that Thunders.”

With uninterrupted panoramic views of African sunsets, each of the seven luxury tents’ locations is carefully chosen for its own unique views of the river and for the surrounding trees that provide maximum privacy (three of the tents are suitable for families). Sit back on your private deck and spot one of the 415 bird species recorded in the park – or opt for in-room massage, manicure and pedicure services.

Designer and co-owner, Amanda Bosch, envisioned and outlined the layout of Victoria Falls River Lodge in the sand on site – the location chosen because of her affection for a particular dead Leadwood tree and its beautiful color. In fact, a dead Leadwood tree is incorporated in every room.

Amanda’s vision became a crescent-shaped lodge (with no sharp edges) set in front of a towering Baobab tree and back from the river to encourage elephants to keep their natural evening route as smaller game graze in front on the lawn. The main lodge has an open plan design with a beautiful thatched roof and allows guests to easily migrate from the lounge to the bar to the dining area within the structure.

As a five-star lodge, fine dining is made possible by a Blue Ribbon designed kitchen. Bruce Bromberg, American celebrity chef, personally designed the space, continuing his nature of setting culinary trends and igniting passions. He is most noted as a founder of Blue Ribbon Restaurant Group, which has accumulated a slew of awards from top US publications for the past decade. Victoria Falls River Lodge’s menu caters to all tastes and includes a variety of local traditional dishes prepared by its expert Zimbabwean Chef.

In this remote location, you have two safari options: river cruise along the Zambezi or the ultimate bush experience within the expansive park where you are located. A safari by water is a perspective not many have the opportunity to experience – and the closest you may get to a hippo in the wild. Or, explore the 150,000 acres that make up Zambezi National Park and track the elephant herds as they move silently through the bush (by car or on foot). And, because the lodge is so close to Victoria Falls and the bridge that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia, the activity options of a typical safari lodge are doubled. Choices include rafting, the bungee jump, bridge swing, canoeing the Zambezi wine route, tours of the Falls, helicopter flights, a boma dinner experience (sample some local Mopani Worms), village tours, sunset steam train trip and a guided tour of the town of Victoria Falls (note: some activities may be an additional cost).

Then return back to the spacious lodge for a dip in the swimming pool or a nap on the relaxation deck. Victoria Falls River Lodge is child-friendly with special activities and tours for children, as well as the option of child minding services. Children are invited to participate in local activities like grass weaving, bread-making and fishing. And, family tents offer an additional tented room, with one single and one double bunk bed, allowing three children to sleep comfortably. (Children 0-3 years old are accommodated at no extra cost, but are not permitted on game drives.)

Known for its many years of turmoil, Zimbabwe has opened up to the world as an up-and-coming destination. Its economy is on the upswing, especially since it now has the US dollar as its currency. And, Zimbabwe’s government has identified the revival of tourism as a factor for its economy, and is focusing on the tourism sector with renewed fervor.

The parks have not been visited in depth for some time, and are waiting to be explore once again (notably, Hwange National Park, Mana Pools National Park and Matusadona National Park). And remember, Zimbabwe’s side has the best view of the Falls when water levels are low. To top it off, Zimbabwe has always had the best guides, with the continent’s most stringent regulations to gain a guiding license. Your safari guide will make or break your experience, so ensure it’s a great one by going to Zimbabwe.

Rates for Victoria Falls River Lodge start at $435 per person sharing per night and include a daily choice of game drives in Zambezi National Park or a sunset river cruise, bird watching on Kandahar Island, access to the Tree Hide, daily transfers to Victoria Falls town, a tour of the Falls, meals, local beverages and transfers to/from Victoria Falls Airport.

For more information, visit www.zambezicrescent.com. For reservations and a custom itinerary, visit www.zambezicrescent.com/EN/make-a-booking.html or email reservations@zambezicrescent.com.

MONASTERO SANTA ROSA BECOMES PREFERRED SUPPLIER OF LUXURY TRAVEL NETWORK VIRTUOSO®

CONCA DEI MARINI, Italy-  Monastero Santa Rosa, a luxurious new boutique hotel and spa built into a Cliffside above Conca dei Marini on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, has become a preferred supplier to leading luxury travel network Virtuoso. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 320 agencies with more than 7,200 elite travel specialists in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,000 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations.

Monastero Santa Rosa opened in May of 2012, and immediately became a sought-after destination.

Built into the side of a mountain with floors connected by a glass-fronted elevator affording panoramic views, the hotel seems to float over the coastline from a rock base on the edge of a cliff which plunges into the depths of the Gulf of Salerno. Originally a 17^th century monastery, the building was restored to honor its roots.  Both the exterior and the interior maintain the asceticism of the property, offset by warm and inviting contemporary design within.

The Amalfi Coast boasts the most beautiful vistas in the world, and Monastero Santa Rosa takes full advantage of them with 20 sea view guest rooms and suites, a full-service spa, a heated infinity pool, beautiful gardens, and a special herb garden, all situated over five terraced levels. Each room is named after one of the historical herbs still grown at the property site.

The pièce de résistance of the hotel is its extraordinary Spa.  The Spa designer kept intact the original 17^th century vaulted ceilings and many of its rustic walls in order to maintain the intriguing character of the original rooms.  The unique experience here may only be described as a journey, an event distinguished by the monastery’s authenticity combined with the amenities of a modern spa.

Travel and tourism make up one of the largest industries on the planet, employing more than 260 million people worldwide and generating nearly ten percent of global GDP. Virtuoso is proud to be a member of the World Travel & Tourism Council, which works to raise awareness of the importance of this industry. Monastero Santa Rosa is proud to be a preferred supplier of Virtuoso.

For more information, visit www.monasterosantarosa.com

TONGABEZI PUTS ON THE DOG WITH NEWLY-BUILT, SUPER-DELUXE CHALET ON THE ZAMBEZI RIVER

LIVINGSTONE, Zambia- Tongabezi, an eco-luxe safari lodge on the Zambezi River upstream of Victoria Falls, announces a brand-new luxury chalet, with the working name “Dog House,” slated to open in early June of this year. Aside from luxurious appointments, the new chalet is luxuriously large – 3,875 square feet!

(Sadly, the former Dog House suffered a fire last year and was razed. The quirky name resulted from a portion of its proceeds helping to save the Wild Dog, one of Africa’s most endangered species).  

Beautifully sited on the Zambezi River, the “Dog House” comprises two very large bedrooms, a dining/living area between the bedrooms, a double-sided fireplace and a small, infinity plunge pool edging the river.  Because the bedrooms are raised nine feet, they appear to be floating over the water. Rooms are air conditioned, but guests who prefer the open air can pull back the glass sliding doors.  The “Dog House” can be used as a two-bedroom suite or, by closing off one bedroom, as a one-bedroom suite.  Like all the houses at Tongabezi, the new chalet comes with a valet.

Tongabezi’s managing director Ben Parker and his designer Christie Halsted came up with the concept for the new House. It is being built by Schlomo Hanoni and his team (the same team that rebuilt sister property Sindabezi in 2010).  “Building beside a river is no mean feat,” says Parker, “because at certain times of the year, the river rises.  It’s a constant battle to get the infrastructure into the ground, before it’s flooded out.”  As one consultant to Tongabezi put it when the builder succeeded in getting ahead of a rising river, “Zambezi – 0; Tongabezi – 1”.

In keeping with Tongabezi’s “green” ethos, the timber is supplied from sustainable forests in the Copper belt near Ndola.

Still and sparkling water is bottled through the Vivreau system (saving 20,000 plastic bottles and 2,000 tin cans every year). All water used is run through a purification plant and used for irrigation.

All-inclusive rates are $620 per person per night in low season, $720 per person per night in high season. Inclusions:  accommodations, meals, drinks and house wine, laundry service and most activities. Exclusions:  international airfare; premium-brand drinks, sparkling wine, liqueurs.

For reservations contact:  reservations@tongabezi.com; or visit:  www.tongabezi.com